gibson



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. H. GIBSON.

RAILWAY SIGNAL.

Patented Dec. 20, 1887.

IN VN TOR ATTORNEYS N. PETERS. Phato-Lilhgnphzr, Waahingtcm 9: C1

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. H. GIBSON.

RAILWAY SIGNAL.

No. 375,063. Patent d De 2 1887.

ATTORNEYS (No Model.) a sheets-sheet 3.

J. H. GIBSON. RAILWAY SIGNAL.

No. 375,063. Patented Dec. 20, 1887.

WITNESSES:

ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

J. HARPER GIBSON, OF NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T O CHARLES E. HUBBELL, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

RAILWAY-SIGNAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 375,063, dated December 20, 1887.

' Application filed June 16, 1887. SerialNo. 241,463. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, J. HARPER GIBSON, of New York, in the county of New York, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Railway-Signals, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of this invention is general signaling on railway-tracks to prevent collisions, and the running of trains over misplaced switches; also, to protect trains against open drawbridges, and more especially to protect the rear portion of a broken train from being run into by a following train; and to that end the invention consists, essentially, in the combination of trackinstruments arranged to be actuated distinctly by each wheel passing on the track and adapted to change the direction of its movement with the change of the direction of the wheel, and the circuit breakers or makers of each set arranged to be actuated separately and independent of each other by the movementof the track-instrument in op posite directions, separate electric circuit-s connecting the reversely-disposcd circuit breakers or makers of the respective sets, a separate battery of each circuit, two sets of electromagnets connected, respectively, with said circuits, and registering mechanisms arranged to be actuated in opposite directions by the armatures of said magnets; and the invention furthermore consists in a novel construction and combination of the constituent parts of the aforesaid mechanisms, all as hereinafter fully described, and specifically set forth in the claims. 7

111 the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows the invention partly in plan views and partly in elevationsand illustrates the electric connectionsoftheelectromagneticinstruments with the track-instruments and signals. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detached plan view of the electromagneticinstrument. Fig. Sis a side elevation taken onlinex 00, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an end elevation of said instruments. Fig. 5is a vertical transverse section onlineyy, Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a detail view showing the cam-wheel of the electro-magnetic instrument in position for keeping the electric circuit through the signal completed, and Fig. 7 is a detail view illustrating the device for adjusting the thrust of thepawl connected with the armature.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A A represent two track -instruinents located at intervals over the length of the railway and dividing the same into blocks or sec tions, each of said instruments consisting of a three-armed or inverted-T-shaped lever, a, which may be pivoted at or near the junction of its arms, either directly to the side of the railroad-rail R, as shown in Fig. l of the drawings, or to a suitable support in proximity to said rail; or said lever may be otherwise fulcrumed, so as to allow it to swing in opposite directions. It is normally sustained with its central arm in a vertical position by a weight, w, suspended from it directly under the fulcrum, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, or by other suitable means. The vertical arm of said lever projects sufficiently above the rail to be encountered and actuated distinctly by the tread of each wheel of the cars passing over said rail. The other two arms project from the foot of the vertical arm horizontally and in a line parallel with the track, and underneath these horizontal arms are located the electric circuit-breakers, consisting of yielding and independently operating metallic bars I) b, which are connected with two separate electric circuits, of which B B denote the batteries. The said bars b b are normally in contact with suitable electric contact-points, c c, and are in such position in relation to the lever a as to cause one of them at a time to receive the pressure of one of thelateral arms of said lever when the latter is tilted by the passing cars, said pressure throwing the bar out of contact with the contact'point.

O 0 represent two electromagnetic instruments, each consisting of a suitable non-conducting frame or platform, P, on which are mounted two electro-magnets, M M, the armatures D D of which are attached to levers EE, which lie with their free ends toward each other and are pivoted to posts F F at the farther sides of the two magnets. Between the free ends of the levers E E,and at right angles thereto, is a shaft, d, pivoted on a metallic frame, I-I, secured to the aforesaid platform.

On the shaft (1, at a point between the free ends of the levers E E, is fastened a ratchetwheel, I, and on the said ends of the levers are pivoted pawls c e, engaging the ratchetwheel I at opposite sides of a vertical line drawn through the center thereof. The pawls are backed by springs j, which press the pawls toward the ratchet-wheel, and said movementofthe pawls is adjusted by set-screws 9, passing through the upper ends of the pawls and abutting against the end walls of the mortises in which the upper ends of the pawls are pivoted, as illustrated in Fig. 7 of the drawings. By means of pins p, projecting from the pawls and colliding with cams s, secured to theframe H, the pawls are thrown out of engagement with a ratchet-wheel when at their extreme downward movement.

To the top of the free end of each lever E E is secured adog, 71, which serves to hold the ratchet-wheel during the intervals between the engagements of the pawl of the other lever. Said levers are forced automatically upward by means of any suitable and well-known power, which in this instance is represented in the form of spring K, and their upward thrust is limited by a cap secured to the frame H and projecting over the free ends of the levers, and set-screws 2' z, passing through said cap, arrest by their lower ends the upward movement of the aforesaid levers.

On the shaft d, back of the ratchet-wheel I, is fastened a circular collar or disk, Z, which is provided with a beveled cam-notch, L, in its periphery, and over the shaft d and parallel therewith is a metallic lever, m, which is piv oted on the metallic frame H to oscillate vertically over the collar I, and has a tooth or cam, m, projecting from its under side and adapted to enter the notch Z.

Back of the collar Z the shaft d is provided with a worm of spiral flange, d, which engages a gear-wheel, a, secured to a shaft, or, journaled in suitable bearings at right angles to the shaft (1, and on the shaft a is also fastened an annular disk or wheel, J, which is provided with a notch, j, in its periphery.

From the lever m projects a lug, m, which is adapted to enter the notch j. The collar Z is of such a diameter and the cam m of such a depth as to cause said cam, when out of the notch Z and riding on the periphery of said collar, to lift the lever at sufficiently to witl1- draw the lug m from the notch of the wheel .I.

Directly under the lug in is a stop, 0, in the form of a metallic post, rising from the nonconducting platform P to a proper height to come in contact with the lugm when said lug is in the notchj of the wheel J, as represented in Fig. 5 of the drawings.

To the rear end of the frame II is secured an insulated metallic plate, a, which projects over the lever in and has its free end in such a position as to stand clear from the said lever when in its lowered position and come in contact with the same when raised by the cam m, riding on the periphery of the disk J.

S S represent electromagnetic signals,which are to be located in suitable positions to be easily seen by the engineer or person in charge of the train. Said signals may be of any suitable and well-known construction. The style here selected for an illustration of my invention consists of a plate having an orifice and two pivoted arms, N N, carrying on their free ends disks NN, respectively, at opposite sides of the center of the orifices, which disks are adapted to fall by gravity into position to close the orifice, as illustrated in Fig. l of the drawings.

The opposite ends of the arms N N constitute armatures of magnets O O, and by theattraction of said magnets the arms N N are swung so as to expose the orifice of the plate, as represented by dotted lines in Fig. l of the drawings, and when released from the magnets the aforesaid arms drop by ravity and carry the disks N N toward the orifice, so as to close the same, as shown by full lines in Fig. l of the drawings.

In connection with the described track instruments, electromagnetic instruments, and signals, I employ two closed electric circuits formed as follows: From the bars b I) of the track-instruments A A, I run wires to a battery, B, and from the other bars, I) b, of said instruments I run wires to abattery, B. The circuit making and breaking devices I) c of each track instrument are electrically connected with the magnets M M, for registering the wheels of the train entering the block or section of road, and with the signals S S. The circuit making and breaking devices b c of the traek-instruments are connected only with magnets M M and battery B, which electrical connections are made in the following manner: From the contact-point c, I run a wire, 1, to a bindingpost, 20, 011 the platform I of the instrument G, and from thence I extend a wire, 2, to the metallic frame H. From this frame the circuit passes to the lever m, to the metallic stop 0, thence by wire 8 to binding-post 10, by wire 4 to signal S, by wire 5 to bindingpost 30, by wire 6 to magnet M, by wire 8 to binding-post 40, and thence to ground. The foregoing being the normal condition of circuit of battery B, and by the circuit through the magnets O O of the signals S S, the latter are held in position to expose the openingin the signal-plate to show the road clear. Vhen the circuit is broken by first wheel of train depressing the lever a, the signals S S fall by gravity into position .to indicate danger.

From the contact-point e of each track instrument is extended a wire, 1, whichis eonneeted with a binding-post, 50, on the platform I, and from said bindingpost is run a wire, 2, to the magnet M, and from thence a wire, 3, is run to the binding-post 40, and from thence to the ground, the foregoing be ing the circuit of battery B. A wire, 9, running from the plate a to the binding-post 30, serves to keep the signals cut out of the circuit in the manner hereinafter described.

" XVhen the apparatus is set for operation, the

point 0.

lugs m m of the lever in lie, respectively, in the notches Z and j of the collar Z and disk J, and thus the lever at has dropped away from the plate at and rests on the stop 0. The levers a of the track-instruments are sustained normally in a position to project above the rail R, either by gravity or by springs, as may be desired. When a train of cars passes over the track-instrument A toward the instrument A, the lever a of the instrument A becomes tilted distinctly by the passage of each wheel on one side of each car, and by each tilt it depresses the subjacent bar I) and throws the same out of contact with the contact-point c, as represented in Fig. 1 of the drawings. Thus each wheel entering the block or section of road to be protected momentarily breaks the circuit through magnet M. Each interruption of said circuit causes the magnet M to release its armature, which is immediately raised by force of the spring K, while the circuit through the other. magnets is maintained intact, and thus the armature thereof retained attracted. So soon as a car-wheel has passed over the lever to the latter resumes its normal position and allows the bar I) to spring back into contact with the contact-point c, and thereby closes the aforesaid circuit. The successive impulses through this circuit cause the armature D of the magnet M to produce a corresponding oscillation of the lever E, and each downward stroke of the latter imparts a partial rotation to the ratchet-wheel I by the medium of the pawl e. The rotation of said ratchet-whee1 and its shaft d, with the collar Z attached thereto, causes the cam or lug m of the lever m to be crowded out of the notch Z of said collar, while the worm d of said shaft turns the gear a, and with it also the disk J. The lever in is thereby lifted off from the stop 0 and raised sufficiently to withdraw the lug m from the not-ch of the disk J and cause it to ride on the periphery of said'disk, and at the same time bring said lever in contact with the plate a. So soon as this is effected the succeeding electric impulses pass from the frame H through the plate 12, thence through the wire 9 to the binding-post 30, thence through the wires 6 and 7, magnet M, and wire 8 to binding-post 40, and thence to the ground, thus cutting off the signals from the circuit and allowing the disks N N of the signals to drop into positions to indicate danger, as shown by full lines in Fig. l of the drawings.

The disk J is of asufficient circumference to keep the lug in riding upon it until the last car of the train has passed the track-instru ment; hence the signal S is retained in the last described position after the train has passed said track-instrument. As the train passes over the succeeding track-instrument A, the lever a thereof is tilted successively by the car-wheels in the same manner as before described and the bar B is thrown correspondingly out of contact with the contact- This produces successive momentary interruptions of the circuit through the magnet M of the two instruments 0 O,and said interruptions produce a corresponding oscillation of the lever E, which, by its pawl 6, im-

parts a retrograde movement to the ratchetwheel I, and this movement of the lattercauses the worm d of the'shaft (Z to turn back the disk J. If the same number of cars pass over the track-instrument A as passed over the instrument A, the disk J will be turned back to its original position to allow the lugs m m of 'the lever m to drop, respectively, into the notches Z and j, and when this is eii'ected the circuit through the frame H is changed from the plate 22 to the stop 0. The abutment of the abrupt side of the cam 171/ against the abrupt side of the notch Z serves to positively arrest the progress of the registeringwheel when arrived at its normal position.

In case one or more cars become detached from the train while between the two trackinstruments, the lever a of the second track instrument will not be actuated a sufficient number of times to restore the disk J'to its original position, and consequently the signal will remain in the position in which it was set when the train passed over the first trackinstrument, and therefore the detached portion of the train will be protected while remaining in the section or block of road between the two track-instruments. When the train passes from the ti'ackjnstrument A toward the instrument A, the same result is produced.

I prefer to employ a closed circuit for normally holding the signals in position to indicate safety, inasmuch as in this case an accidental breakage of the circuit will then cause thesignalstoindicatedanger. Idonot,however, wish to be limited to the normally-closed circuit, as it is obvious that by a slight modification of the relative position ofparts of the apparatus I am enabled to employ a normally-open circuit.

Havingdescribed my invention,what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A railway blocksignal comprising trackinstruments arranged at the ends of the block of road to be guarded and each arranged to be actuated distinctly by each wheel passing on the track,and adapted to change the direction a of its movement with the change of the direction of the wheel, a set of circuit-breakers for each track-instrument, and the circuit-breakers of each set arranged to be actuated separate and independently of each other by the movement of the track-instrument in opposite directions, separate electric circuits connecting the reversely-disposed circuit-breakers of the respective sets, a separate battery for each circuit, two sets of electro-magnets connected, respectively, with said circuits, and registering mechanisms arranged to be actuated in opposite directions by the armatures of said magnets, substantially as set forth.

. 2. A railway block-signal comprising track instruments arranged at intervals within the block of road to be guarded and each arranged rco to be actuated distinctly by each wheel passing on the track, and adapted to change the direction of its movement with the change of the direction of the wheel, a set of circuit-breakers for each track-instru ment, and the circuitbreakers of each set arranged to be actuated separate and independently of each other by the movement of the track-instrument in opposite directions, separate electric circuits connecting the reversely disposed circuitbreakers of the respective sets, a separate battery for each circuit, two sets of electro-mag nets connected, respectively, with said cir cuits, registering mechanisms arranged to be actuated in opposite directions by the armatures of said magnets, and electromagnetic signals arranged to be actuated by said registering mechanisms, substantially as set forth.

3. In combination with the circuit-breakers, electro-magnets electrically connected with said eircuit-breakers, levers connected with armatu res of said magnets, a wheel rotated in opposite-directions by the respective levers, a movable bar actuated by the said wheel, two contact-points arranged to come in contact with said bar, respectively, at the extremes of its movements, and an electromagnetic signal electrically connected with said contactpoints, substantially as set forth.

4:. In combination with the ratchet-wheel I, magnets M M in normally-closed circuits, armatures D D, and cireuitbreakers, the levers E E, connected to the armatures and forced automatically from the magnets, and pawls c e, and dogs 7b 71 connected to the levers, whereby one lever is made to prevent the retrograde movement of the ratchet-wheel r0 tated by the other lever, substantially as set forth.

5. In combination with the ratchet-wheel I, the levers E E, pawls c c, pivoted on said levers, springs f, backing said pawls, and the adjusting-screws g, for controlling the movement of the pawls, as set forth and shown.

6. In combination with the ratchet-wheel I and levers E E, the pawls ee, pivoted on said levers, spring f, backing the pawls, the pins 19, projecting from the pawl, and the cams s s, for moving the pawls on the levers, substantially as described and shown.

7. In combination with two magnets and their armatures, restrained levers attached to said armatures, pawls on said levers, a ratchet-wheel adapted to be turned in opposite directions by said pawls, a disk receiving motion from the ratchet-wheel, a pivoted lever adapted to ride on the periphery of said disk and to fall from the same, a lifter actuated by the ratchet-wheel andadapted to throw the lever onto the periphery of the disk, a stop arranged to be encountered by the lever when falling from the periphery of the disk, and a contact-plate over the said lever, substantially as set forth.

8. In combination with the magnets M M and armatures D D, the levers E E, lying with their free ends toward each other and connected with the armatures, springs K K, for raising the levers,with the armatures,from the magnets, pawls c e on the free ends of said levers, the frame H, the shaft d, provided with the worm d and with the ratchet-wheel I between the pawls, the gear-wheel n, engaging the worm d, the disk J, arranged to move with said gear-wheel and provided with the notch j, the eollarZ on the shaft d, provided with the notch Z, the lever m, provided with the cams or lugs m m, adapted to enter the notches Z and the stop 0 under the lever,and the plate 1; over the lever and insulated from the frame H, substantially as described and 7 shown.

9. In combination with the track-instruments and circuit-breakers b 0 and b 0, arranged to be operated bysaid instruments, the magnets M M, the armatu res D D, levers E E, provided with pawls e e, the metallic frame H, worm-shaft dd, ratchet-wheel I, the collar Z, provided with the notch Z, gear-wheel 71,611 gaging the worm d of the shaft d, the pivoted disk J, provided with the notch j, the lever m, provided with cams or lugs m m, adapted to engage,respectively, the notches Zj, the stop 0 and plate o, respectively under and over the lever m, the signal S, having magnets O O, for operating them, and electric connections, respectively, from the circuit breakers Z) 0, through the frame H, lever m, stop 0, signalmagnets O O, magnets M, to ground, and from the plate o, through the magnets M, and to ground, and from the circuit-breaker b c,

county of Onondaga,in the State of New York,

this 12th day of February, 1887.

J. HARPER GIBSON. [It s] Vitnesscs:

O. H. DUELL, H. P. DENISON. 

